The NZ connection

The media here is obsessed with finding a New Zealand angle to any story, and to big-note New Zealand at any opportunity.

At times, this can be quite offensive, and a bit racist. When the devastating Haiti earthquake struck, the lead item in the news for the first 2 days was about a New Zealand family. With around 100,000 people dead, and almost the entire country destroyed, it doesn’t really require a New Zealand angle to make it newsworthy. Does it really matter if 2 New Zealanders were killed? What about the other 99,998 people? If there weren’t any New Zealanders, would it suddenly disappear to page 6? Of course, that’s not to say that those 2 deaths aren’t tragic. It’s just that any sort of disaster like that is tragic, regardless of where it happens.

At other times, the New Zealand connection is just plain lame. Last week, it was reported that the “Antipodean invention” of the flat white coffee had graced the Starbucks menu for the first time.

However, I’m not sure that making a coffee and putting in slightly less milk than normal qualifies as an invention. The article goes on to say that “Auckland café DKD claims to have first invented the now famous blend, though Australia also lays claim to the creation.” Given that everyone prefers a varying quantity of milk sugar and water in their coffee, it’s not really surprising that more than one café has claimed to have invented the flat white. Having a less-milky coffee is no more an invention than putting in an extra teaspoon of sugar.

For the avoidance of doubt, here are some examples of actual inventions:

Inventions
· Dynamite
· Helicopter
· Internal combustion engine

And these aren't:

Not inventions
· Putting slightly less milk in your coffee
· Turning your hat around so it’s pointing sideways
· Having extra cheese on your pizza
· Not wearing underpants